Rustico Restaurant-Tel Aviv

With the romantic notion that Sweet man could placate me with authentic Italian cuisine he opted for a late but intimate lunch in Tel Aviv. Since there is no secret Tel Aviv, the restaurant he selected Rustico was bursting at the seams with families, friends and seriously hungry foodies. I had to console myself that his intention was heartfelt but, as usual we would end up studying the crowd and not each other!

Rustico, is a locally well known Italian restaurant which has a few branches in Tel Aviv. We generally frequent the one situated on the grand Rothschild Boulevard, but this time Sweet man had decided upon the leafy corner location in the quaint but Saturday quiet Basel neighborhood. Rustico here is in an envious position on the main street and if it were not surrounded by numerous pots of tall greenery the view would be a picture postcard of the open square, lofty towers, cute boutiques and cafes that make up the district. The outer seating area of the restaurant seems to be based on the name, kind of rural rustic. The floor is covered with worn stone tiles combined with paving, not the ideal surface for my high heals on a wet day. The tables and chairs are simple and on this occasion packed with people. The sound level is nearly noisy and the atmosphere super casual. The ‘sleeker’ interior consists of a huge bar area which partly hides the clever taboon oven and the tables look less informal. The menu (obviously) is focused on rustic Italian dishes, including some well loved classics with newer names, such as Caprese “Rustico’, plus additional offerings with a updated twist, like Cappello di Funghi.

Moreish homemade foccacia bread (from white sour dough), crisp crusted pizzas and bubbling baked savory delights such as meaty lasagna are cooked in the impressive brick taboon oven and usually served deliciously hot to the table. There is a good selection of saucy pastas, including veggie only for those who have lost their carnivore intincts. A few dishes use the in house freshly made pasta, gnocchi, cannelloni & lasagna (which in my opinion is preferable) otherwise the dried version, which with a decent sauce is more than acceptable.

A tiny but fine choice of fishy mains, one meat platter and a couple of risottos are available and a few interesting deserts if you get that far after all the P’s (pizza /pasta). However, since there is never enough sugar in our double diet, we needed a “sweeten up and so finished our meal with a heavy pistachio cake swimming in redberry sauce and a vanilla speckled lush ice cream laced with strong espresso. As long as we have love who is counting the calories..

Food is consistent in quality and prices are reasonable for Tel Aviv. Family friendly and popular. Suggest you lay off carbs the day before..

Buon Appetito !!

FYI Three branches : Basel Street, Rothschild Boulevard and Sarona District.